"Ooooh! Did you try and eat a hundred cotton candies all at once? Or maybe try to sneak a kiss from a cutie knowing they wouldn't remember? Or maybe try and know what it was like to just go nuts and run through the whole place naked?!"
Sunset blinked a couple of times at the overwhelming excitement and enthusiasm Pinkie was displaying, but in the end she simply smiled and gave her a pat on the shoulder.
"Tell you what, when we get back home I'll tell you and the girls all about what I went through during those loops."
Pinkie squealed with delight, doing a little backflip as she launched herself into her seat in the RV, much to the amusement of her friends. Sunset chucked, shaking her head to such antics as she focused once more on the road ahead. It had definitely been an interesting time at that concert, but now all the craziness had ended, and she contented herself in simply being able to focus on driving the van on their way back to the city. Her friends too were tired from all they'd done there, but Sunset still kept her smile, happy in the knowledge that everything had worked out, especially her time with Pinkie. The sun was starting to set over in the horizon, creating a beautiful sight, and Sunset sighed to it.
"Ah...lovely."
Then, her eyes noticed something far ahead. The road was fairly straight, so it was easy to spot things along it. And here, she noticed another van far away, parked on the side of the road. It was considerably smaller than theirs, and yet, the moment Sunset saw it, she knew what it was. More than that, she knew who it belonged to, and her smile faded as a result.
"...Oh."
Her word caused her friends to look at her, for they knew a worried tone when they heard one. They got up, making their way to the front, just behind Sunset, and looked out to what she was seeing there.
"What's up, Sunset?" Rainbow asked.
"Some poor folks broke down?" Applejack added.
Sunset took a deep breath, sighing soon afterwards.
"Right, I forgot...you girls never saw them in the last loop, did you?"
Naturally, the others had no idea what she was talking about. However, as their RV drew nearer and nearer to the broken-down van, they began to make out the form of three figures standing outside of it. And when they were close enough, it was here that recognition finally came to the girls.
"No!" Rarity exclaimed.
"It can't be!" Fluttershy echoed.
Twilight adjusted her glasses, looking to the other girls with confusion.
"Um...is this something I'm going to need to ask about?"
They all gave her a look, and in the meantime, Sunset kept her eyes firmly on the break-down. She was getting closer now, and it would have been so easy for her to just drive past and leave them there. After all, they had been her enemies, and the enemies of her friends too. And given what they seemed to be like in her now-non-existent series of events, they were unlikely to be all that happy to see her. Still, as she saw the van finally pass out of view as they themselves drove along, something just spoke to her. She knew what she was going to do, yet she wasn't really comfortable with it. She put her foot down on the brakes, much to the surprise of the other girls, before pulling over to the side. Eventually, they came to a complete stop, and for a full minute they all waited in silence as Sunset gripped the steering wheel tightly. After a deep breath, she exhaled, getting out of her seat.
"...Wait here."
They trusted her, and so gave her silent nods of consent, watching as she made her way to the RV's door. Opening it, she stepped outside, taking another deep breath, before finally turning. Here, she finally made eye contact with the owners of the van, all of whom looked to her with either shock, confusion, irritation or some combination of the three. Sunset's friends began to hesitantly make their way outside as well, even in spite of having been told not to, and soon, all six of them were behind her. It was an uncomfortable moment, with neither side saying anything to the other, and Sunset's eyes were fixed entirely on those of the opposing redhead. Finally, the Equestrian took a few steps forward, until she was just a short distance away from the unhappy trio. Again, there was silence, during which time Sunset's face softened, if only by a little bit.
"...Trouble?"
Adagio, still clearly upset at seeing the one responsible for her and her fellow Sirens' downfall, gestured to the van behind her.
"Flat tyre."
Sunset nodded, casting a quick glance in the van's direction.
"You got a spare?"
"Used it last week," Adagio replied sharply.
Another silence. Sunset knew she was under no obligation to help them here. They didn't like her or want her help, and in truth some part of her would have felt more than a little satisfaction in just leaving them stranded here. But she knew that wasn't the real her having that feeling. That was the old her. The her that would have taken delight in others being in bad places. She was different now, and she was facing three girls who were in need of help. After a time, she relented, letting her shoulders slump by just the tiniest amount.
"...We have a few spares of our own...if you'd like one."
Slowly, Adagio arched an eyebrow.
"Why?"
Sunset offered only the barest hint of a smile as she gestured to her.
"Because you need help...and we're in a position to offer it."
Being the kind of girl she was, Adagio was quick to look like she smelled some kind of treachery in this arrangement. However, the longer she stood there, not answering, the less sure she was that Sunset was lying. After a while though, she looked behind herself, to both Aria and Sonata, both of whom looked like they just wanted to get out of here already. Though annoyed at herself for doing this, Adagio nevertheless gave a small nod to Sunset, eliciting another smile from the latter. Sunset looked around, to Applejack, and though the farm girl seemed just as worried as everyone else at being this close to their one-time mortal enemies, she still trusted Sunset, and so got back onto the RV. In the meantime, Twilight cleared her throat nervously, walking forward a bit and putting on at least a little bit of a welcoming tone.
"Hi. We've never met before, but I'm..."
"Twilight Sparkle. Yes, I know," Adagio pre-emptively responded.
Twilight blinked, then blushed a little, taking a step backwards.
"Ah, yes, of course, you already met the other one, didn't you?"
Adagio clearly had no idea what she'd meant by that, but her attention was soon turned to more important things, as Applejack had returned, carrying with her a spare tyre. The Dazzlings watched as she arrived at their van with it, getting down to one knee to look at the tyre that had already flattened.
"Well, good news is that it's the same make. Should be able ta get this swapped in a jiffy."
Adagio gave a courteous nod.
"Thank you."
Applejack looked up to her, genuinely surprised to get some kind of thanks from her, but she nevertheless nodded back before getting to her work. As for everyone else, it would have been obvious, even to someone who had no foreknowledge of their unpleasant history together, that things were uncomfortable right now. But not so uncomfortable that Pinkie wasn't willing to display her usual amount of excitement, especially as she bounced forward and landed right in front of Sonata.
"Soooooo....been up to much? Any more evil singing and stuff?"
Rainbow, all the way at the back of the group, slapped her forehead over that remark, but Sonata, by contrast, simply tapped her chin while she thought about it.
"Nope! I mean there's singing, but it's not the evil kind."
Pinkie nodded.
"Neato!"
Here, Rarity walked forward, grabbing Pinkie by the back of her shirt and pulling her back to be with the rest of their group, all while Pinkie enthusiastically waved to their mortal enemies. Adagio, with her eyebrow as high as it would go, looked over to Sunset, who simply chuckled and shrugged her shoulders to that typical Pinkie display. Realising that it wasn't something she was likely to want to ask about, Adagio turned away, heading for her van. The others watched as she opened it, reaching in and pulling out, of all things, a cup of tea, which she blew on before taking a quick sip of. A moment passed, and then the Siren leader released a sigh of contentment.
"Honestly, I could not go through my day without one of these."
Rarity sniffed the air briefly and, for the first time in all this, stepped forward, addressing her.
"Do I detect the slightest hint of herbs in that tea, Miss Dazzle?"
Adagio didn't smile, or even look at her, instead just looking down to her drink and the reflection of herself she saw in it.
"It helps relax me in...stressful times."
The message in that one was clear, and Rarity was polite enough not to ask further. Things weren't getting any better, they all knew it, but there was at least the positive of Applejack having finished her work. A new tyre now graced the Dazzlings' van, and she wiped away some sweat from her brow as she looked to her work.
"Well, that about does it. Should hold up fer a while."
Aria looked over to her, walking close to the tyre and giving it just a tiny kick. It felt firm and stable, and so she looked up to the one who'd fixed it.
"Thanks...I guess."
Applejack did not smile back, instead just nodding, silently accepting the thanks out of courtesy if nothing else.
"Yer welcome...ah suppose."
She returned to the group, and before long it was back to Sunset and Adagio looking at one another. After a time, the latter finally broke the silence between them.
"I am...grateful."
Sunset gave a small smile, but it faded slightly as Adagio frowned to her.
"Just so you know...this doesn't change anything."
Sunset stood her ground, but she still nodded again.
"Yeah...I know."
There was nothing else spoken between them, as Adagio gestured to her cohorts, who now entered the van themselves. Adagio followed, getting into the drivers' seat. She paused here, giving Sunset one final look, before finally getting the van going again. Sunset and the other girls watched as they drove off, heading further and further away from them, until they were eventually too far away to see. Sunset sighed, and Twilight looked to her, approaching her and, after some hesitation and consideration, speaking.
"Were you...hoping something would happen?"
Folding her arms, Sunset gave a quick shrug, looking slightly embarrassed.
"I knew it was unlikely, but...I guess some part of me did."
Twilight smiled to her, gently placing her hand on her shoulder. Sunset smiled back, and she turned to see that Fluttershy too was nearby.
"You did the right thing, Sunset. They might not be our friends, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't have helped them."
"Yeah, just leaving them on the side of the road wouldn't have felt right," Rainbow added.
Sunset looked to each and every one of her friends, and though they didn't say it, she could tell that they were satisfied with how things turned out. She nodded to them, finally heading back to the RV. But when she reached it, she found Pinkie Pie, who was leaning against the door and looking to her with slyness.
"Well, that settles it, you're definitely telling us all about those loops when we get home!"
